Manchester Doctoral College

Manchester Doctoral College (MDC) has oversight of all doctoral training and researcher development across The University of Manchester.

The MDC team works to focus attention on postgraduate research requirements and develop cross-disciplinary, cross-School and cross-Faculty collaboration to enrich the student experience.

MDC is responsible for supporting all postgraduate research students by providing a stimulating research environment and through developing researcher development programmes, funding opportunities and postgraduate-specific facilities.

As a postgraduate research student at The University of Manchester you’ll become part of the MDC research community, which includes students, supervisors, administrators and external collaborators who all work together to improve facilities, locate accessible funding and improve the postgraduate research experience across the institution.

We attract some of the best students in the world and MDC has established flagship funding opportunities, such as the President’s Doctoral Scholarship award scheme, to support the next generation of leaders in research.

We offer specific funds, such as the conference attendance fund, and coordinate student representation at School, Faculty and institutional level. Through working with students we listen to feedback through national survey activities such as the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) and the Student Barometer.

MDC aims to:

enhance your experience as a postgraduate research student;

work in collaboration with postgraduate research students to generate internationally leading research;

guide postgraduate research students towards a successful future career, whether inside or outside of academia;

celebrate the success of our postgraduate research students and promote the postgraduate research community and its needs across the institution;

set standards and expectations for postgraduate research students and the University and set out a code of practice;

support all postgraduate research students to make the most of their opportunities at Manchester.

The team

MDC is a collaboration between staff from across the University who are dedicated to providing the best possible student experience for postgraduate research students.

MDC staff include associate deans from each Faculty, the graduate education team, Faculty support staff and School representatives who contribute to the ongoing objectives of the college. MDC staff ensure that best practice is shared across the University, standards of quality are met in all areas of postgraduate research provision and interdisciplinary relations are forged where they benefit postgraduate research students.

College facilities

MDC has a postgraduate researcher development teaching suite, which is a dedicated space for taught doctoral units. The rooms include dedicated teaching rooms, meeting rooms and a small office for mentoring, as well as tea- and coffee-making facilities and a small office for use by teachers and group leaders.

You can book these rooms for events and meetings. In the past President’s Doctoral Scholars have used the rooms to arrange their conference meetings.